My mare (she is more used to being in a ring) is getting really bad about trying to kick other horses when I take her on a trail ride. Today she wasn’t even close and decided she was going to get another horse any way she could (sound effects and all). She is fine in the front when she meets other horses, doesn’t squeal or throw the front foot but when it comes to the other end…ugh! The other rider with me today kinda set her up and we moved her to the front and then she would trot up behind her. When the back end started coming up and the tail got to wringing, I would crack her across the butt with my lead rope. She really hates another horse behind her, especially when they go to pass. I can’t relax and enjoy myself for fear she is going to hurt someone. She is pastured with a very dominant mare and never kicks out in the field. Would some kind of Mare Magic or other supplement help? I don’t want to get to the point that no one wants to ride with us:cry:
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I fixed this in the arena first. We played the leap frog game. I started with just one other horse and they’d come up behind us and pass. If he had any kind of negative reaction toward the other horse he would get SMACKED with a crop on the shoulder a couple times and I’d growl NO at him. The other horse would pass closer and closer each time. If he stayed neutral, he got scratches and praise.
After a day or two of that, we added a couple more horses and started over. The others started far enough away for him not to react and moved closer and closer.
If he even so much as flicks an ear negatively at another horse I essentially blow up at him. He doesn’t get a vote in how close a horse gets to him. He is permitted to calmly move away from them, but he may not react aggressively. I have ZERO tolerance for this.
Now he doesn’t react when horses run up next to him, run into him from either the side or behind, etc. I was actually on a trail ride with some friends. Two people were behind me and two were ahead of me. Something happened with the two behind me and they both bolted. One crashed into us on the left and the other flew past us on the right, kicking out at my head as they went past. My horse took about three quick steps and then allowed me to go catch the gelding who’d tried to kick us after he’d dumped his rider.
Being that I have a titanium rod in my entire right tibia from another horse kicking at my horse and getting me instead, and it was a compound tibia fracture, I would get that fixed on that mare.
Then I got years later a young horse and she had pretty much the same issue as you describe. I had never had such a naughty horse, and I was sick at the thought she was doing this, omg, what the heck is wrong with her? I thought I would never be able to ride her with other horses ever, for fearing for THEIR safety, and that she was destined to be a pasture horse, or brood mare. Yeah I tried a crop, didn’t work. And yes I am an experienced rider handler. Yes, played leap from, didn’t work. Anybody in the “zone” she would try to kick.
Well, I was reading on COTH a thread on soy 2 years ago. It all rang true. I removed her from soy and the behavior went away. She can still be a handful sometimes, however she is not kicking out at other horses.
I feed tim pellets, Equipride, and never ever feed her soy, no treats with soy in it either. BTW I do think Mrs. Pastures Cookies does have soy although not listed, my horse says it does. Even a piece of bread can get her a bit on the silly side. Some don’t believe me, but those who have ridden with me do believe, and definitely recognize the change. Read labels closely. Very closely. Good luck.
Sounds like great advice from both of you. I am going to try your advice. This mare is a 4 year old Perch/TB cross so she has some size to her and I definitely don’t want her to hurt someone. She also holds weight very easy and gets barely a handful of grain. I feed her a small combo of Safe Choice and Legends Performance. She gets about a handful twice a day but all the hay she likes. She is super brave and the other rider thinks it’s dominance. I just have a hard time believing that since she is not dominate in the pasture. It is reassuring to know there is hope. I just have to find some willing victims!
[QUOTE=shohanna;6053595]
I just have a hard time believing that since she is not dominate in the pasture.[/QUOTE]
It still could be dominance – once your horse gets out from under the dominant horse in her pasture, she starts exercising her own dominance. There’s a mare at my barn who had to be moved into a different field due to an injury, and she had a complete personality transplant. In the other field, she was completely subdued by a bossy pony mare, but in the layup field, she became the alpha and was impossible to deal with. As soon as she healed and we moved her back into the field with the pony, she became a model citizen again.
It could also be a competitive streak - she wants to stay in front! My sweet little arab mare always wants to be in front, and will cross over the track to block a horse approaching from behind!
We do a lot of side-by-side trotting though and she gets a tap if she puts her ears back. She doesn’t kick, but boy she can look mean!
I think the leapfrog exercises could be good, but you need to be firm with her - I’d give her a whack on the rump the minute she puts her ears back. It would be like another horse telling her off.
My TB mare can be kind of snarky to horses invading her princess bubble. She always gets smacked for ugly faces and rarely acts any further than that. In all the years I have trail ridden her she has only kicked two horses. One was a friend’s horse quite a bit bigger than my mare who kept riding his chest right up her butt. He was so close that I felt something hit my arm. Surprise, it was his nose. I had told her numerous times that my mare was getting irritated with her gelding. She kicked him in the chest. The other time she kicked was the first time we went foxhunting. We were in 3rd flight and my friend’s 18.2h Clyde cross(my mare is 15.2h) kept running her head up my mare’s butt. She finally got tired of it and kicked her in the nose(I think-all I know is we were about to stike off in a canter and the next thing I knew both hind legs were straight up in the air for a stride and then off she galloped. Everyone behind us commented on how agile she was. My friend didn’t think anything of it as she knew she was having a hard time controlling her horse.
My girl is not that tolerant. Unfortunately, the horse behind can give her plenty of room and she still gets her nickers in a knot. I do agree with her being competitive although I didn’t realize it until the other horse we were ridding with took off at a full gallop (her rider does 50+ mile endurance rides and they are an awesome pair but my four year old hardly ever on trails mare was not ready for that). Not only did she hit a full gallop in her pursuit of the other horse (and it was muddy!) and fly by the other horse she wouldn’t let her come by again. The other rider got a good laugh because it was clear what she was doing but I didn’t like her behavior…it’s just too dangerous. She is quite a character. I also find it odd she shows no aggression at all when she meets a new horse nose to nose. In fact she is quite sweet and never squeals or throws a front leg.
The leap frog exercise that some of the other posters mentioned is a very good way to get horses used to being passed and ridden away from. I agree it is very scary when someone takes off and your horse is insistant about following at the same pace. My mare is awesome about that. When I first started trail riding her, I would frequently turn her and ride away from the group. If she started acting up, I would put her to work, backing into the woods ,walking over logs, circling, whatever to occupy her. Now, she only moves out following the other horses if I tell her to. Otherwise she will walk or stand until I tell her to change gait.
frightened/anxious submissive horses can kick out of fear. If she’s not dominant in the field, she’s likely kicking out of defensiveness.
It’s so hard to say as she is such a confident mare. She is incredible over fences as she totally enjoys jumping and objects are always interesting vs frightening to her. I have never met one quite like this mare. When other horses are scared she will go right to whatever is bothering them. She was an orphan and I picked her out of about 40 other babies. If anyone is familiar with this, she is a wet nurse mare foal. I guess I should really say she picked me…but that’s another story…
After having the gallop experience when I took her back a few days later the other rider (different horse) went ahead of me and cantered out of site. She got antsy but I made her walk until she settles down. That is a habit I don’t need.
[QUOTE=shohanna;6053595]
Sounds like great advice from both of you. I am going to try your advice. This mare is a 4 year old Perch/TB cross so she has some size to her and I definitely don’t want her to hurt someone. She also holds weight very easy and gets barely a handful of grain. I feed her a small combo of Safe Choice and Legends Performance. She gets about a handful twice a day but all the hay she likes.
She is super brave and the other rider thinks it’s dominance. I just have a hard time believing that since she is not dominate in the pasture. It is reassuring to know there is hope. I just have to find some willing victims![/QUOTE]
Often times a horse ( or other animals) at the bottom of the " pecking order" will try to be dominant once they are free of their herd. One goat we have was at the lowest in a large herd where we bought her from. Brought her home and guess who is the biggest bully and the boss now??
I would continue just the way you are doing, just make sure you are using your crop with good force, she is a big girl and probably won’t feel a light smack. I had a big girl too, I know…
